The Storm Tree
by Nychta
Summary: Naruto is lonely. Lonely, in pain, all by himself. So he runs. Anywhere, nowhere. Itachi is alone. Alone, sad, questioning his fragile sanity. so he stands in the rain, face tilted up to the sky. Will the storm bring them together or tear them apart?
1. Tears

**Hello everyone, this is Nychta, back with a severely depressing (to me, at least) story. Yes, it **_**is**_** itanaru, but if you want something different . . . take my poll. I have so many Ideas, and most of them are written down somewhere, but I need the motivation to type them up. **

**Btw, happy belated birthday twinny from outer space (aka AkumaNoDanna) and happy extremely early/REALLY late birthday to ravensbleeding (who is utterly AWESOME!) and to quartzapple (who is a freakin' updating GOD! ALL HAIL THE CRYSTALLINE FRUIT!) .**

**Anyways.**

**Warnings; first ff, ooc-ness. My Naruto is NOT a happy go lucky idiot. And Itachi will not be killing everything in sight, which technically makes him ooc. Mentions of self harm/attempted suicide. Later on (in like, 2 chapters, maybe less) there will be sex. Guy on guy sex. There probably won't be mentions of rape, though if people want me to add that in . . . REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer; do you see Naruto swapping attitudes with sasEMO? Do you see Deidara and Sasori smooching in public? Do you see Itachi being alive? No? Well, then, I guess it's pretty safe to day I **_**don't**_** own Naruto. And I'm really not all that upset about it.**

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><p>Naruto's song; behind blue eyes-limp bizkit<p>

Itachi's song; valentine's day-linkin park

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><p>Naruto sat on the edge of his small mattress, eyes filled with tears that would not overflow. He was better than that. Crying was for weaklings, and Naruto was a lot of things, but not weak, never weak. He pressed a hand to his chest, felling the thump of his heart, so vital, so alive, like he would never be.<p>

The tears burned like a brand, but nothing could send them trailing down his cheek. His heart beat faster, and his hand pressed deeper into his chest, nails leaving marks behind on his flawless skin.

_(Lies)_

It was all lies, always lies.

_(I love you.)_

_(I hate you.)_

_(I __**understand**_ you.)

Because no one would ever understand him. Kyuubi no kitsune, a demon. That was all that he had been, and it was all that he would ever be. He closed his eyes and lights played in the back of his eyelids, shapes forming and morphing into unrecognisable patterns. His heart beat, but Naruto was never sure if he was really alive.

(_You were never alive)_

The only time that Naruto was ever alive was when the pain came. He was alive when the lies were exposed, alive when a sharp blade ran through his skin, alive when facing the edge of death.

He would paint a smile on his face, say that he was happy

(_Alive)_

but he never was. Blood, pain, tears. Alone, but not alone enough. His demons and ghosts stayed with him, night and day.

(_Monster, Monster, Monster, __**DEMON**_)

He could never be consumed by the pain, no matter how he tried, no matter how he sought out the lies, no matter how many times he ran that sharp blade over his skin, no matter how many times he stood in front of the Kyuubi, and begged him to end it all.

(_No one will miss you)_

The roof was leaking.

Plip.

Warm raindrops, falling onto the worn and broken floorboards.

The wind howled outside, lashing leaves against his already broken and boarded up window. The rain poured down in buckets.

The roof was leaking.

That was why moisture left its faded tracks down Naruto's cheeks.

(_Weak, Weak, Weak)_

His heart beat.

The tears burned the back of his eyes.

_**(MONSTER!)**_

Life. . .alive. . .he would never live, not with the guilt of the lives he had taken, before he had even been born.

The blond broke.

Stormy blue eyes opened wide, and the roof was leaking again.

The tracks of countless years of pain trailed down his face. Countless years of beatings and withheld cries. Countless years of having no name to cry out when he needed someone the most.

His nails dug deeper into his skin, nearly drawing blood. His head ached, and the whispers of his past came back to haunt him.

(_Blood. Pain. Lies.)_

Life was less than a twisted fairytale. Life wasn't happy, and, at least for Naruto, probably never would be.

-_All alone, by myself. No one to love.-_

_(No one would love you anyway.)_

_(Demon)_

Maybe another demon would love him, but . . . that was too much to hope for. The other demons hated him as much as the people

-_angels. . . they are angels- _

did.

He got up, not knowing where he was going, but knowing that he couldn't stay there, in that time ridden room.

As he left, the door swung shut behind his back, covered, for once, free of the cheerful orange that he wore to convince people that he was fine.

Instead, he was wrapped in black.

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><p>Itachi stood at the trunk of a tree, leaning against its soaring majesty, his eyes closed.<p>

The wind howled, but he ignored it.

The rain poured down on his black locks, soaking them through and through, but he ignored it.

The clash of thunder turned his head up, and he opened his eyes.

A flash of bright light

(_aniki . . . look what I can do!)_

and then all was dark again.

(_learn to hate me, otouto)_

His eyes dimmed, memories crowding his head with perfect clarity.

(_I am disappointed, Itachi. You could do better.)_

_(aniki!)_

_(kill them all.)_

_-Not Sasuke . . . Please, not my otouto.-_

_(kill them __**ALL**__)_

_(join us)_

_(learn to hate me)_

_-End it all, otouto. I am tired of this game. . .-_

He was tired, oh so tired.

He had no one. No one to talk to, no one to listen to, no one laugh with, no one to cry with.

No one to **LOVE**.

There was not a single person that would cry when he died. All the people that he loved were too fragile to come into this world of his, filled with blood, pain and death.

-_otouto, learn to hate me. . . learn to become strong-_

Somewhere along the line, his reason for living had dulled. The path that he had been taking had forked one too many times, and now he was just sitting at the crossroads, not knowing which way to go.

Life wasn't fulfilling anymore. He was never alive.

He had never _been_ alive.

It had all been fake.

(_Disappointed)_

_(Itachi)_

_(Aniki)_

_(Uchiha-sama)_

_(Akatsuki trash)_

Had anyone ever seen him for who he truly was? He didn't even know himself.

(_confusion)_

_(aniki. . . ANIKI! __**WHY?**__)_

They haunted him. Memories of a past that he had never lived.

Who was he?

-_Uchiha Itachi-_

Really?

-_I don't know anymore-_

No, he had never known.

Who was Uchiha Itachi really?

A man that had given up everything for his village? A man that had given up everything for his brother? A monster, a killing machine that had never known true emotion?

His onyx eyes closed again, his face tilted up to the rain, falling down his almost feminine countenance. It was cold.

A shiver wracked his body, and his eyes opened, bright red.

Thunder clashed.

Rain fell.

Lightning lit up the sky.

Footsteps.

"Who are you?"

". . . I don't know."

The blond with his lost blue eyes came to lean against the great tree as well.

"I'm a monster."

"So am I."

After that, neither of them talked, both content

(_Content?_)

to look up into the stormy sky and be enfolded in their painful memories. No words were exchanged, and when the suns' rays started to light up the sky with a bloody light, barely visible through the thick rain, they just stood there, underneath the old, undoubtedly wise tree.

That was their first fateful meeting.

But not their last.

Never their last.

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><p><strong>Cavemen developed flames, computer geniuses developed reviews . . . how evolved are you?<strong>

**Review? Please?**


	2. Weakness

**Heyyo, it's Nychta again!**

**Sooo. . . I got something like 8 story alerts and three reviews in ONE DAY for this story. . . I know I should be working on the circus (my current sasodei project) but this just looked. . .so. . .damn. . .tempting! So I thought, fuck it. People want this story as well, what's the problem? So, here it is! However, the next thing I'm working on WILL be the circus, so updates on this may be slower. The fact is, that though writing like this (this being, like, no dialogue, confusing, key-needing [see bottom a/n] italicised bolded brackets and words) is fun, it does get a little confusing.**

**Also, I am fighting to keep the humour and light heartedness out of this.**

**So; there is no ita-bitch (my pet name for Itachi, as you may know if you read the circus) in this chapter, however, there is a whole heap of Naruto-ness.**

**The song for this chapter wasn't actually playing anywhere except my head, and it's called 'A Team' . I can't remember who it's by, but it sort of fits: 'it's too cold outside for angels to fly'**

**On another note, a few of my keys are sticky, so I apologise in advance for any missed letters. **

**Read and enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter two: 'Weakness'<strong>

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><p>"Oh, Na-ru-to~" a voice sang from in front of his bed.<p>

Naruto didn't want to get up. He didn't want to have to deal with the world, as filled with corruption and hate as it was.

(_monster)_

"It's time to get up!" And he didn't want to have to be happy. His masks had cracked the night before and he wasn't sure that he'd be able to piece them back together in time.

"Dobe, get up!" especially not in front of him. He really didn't want to have to deal with _him_.

-_usuratonkachi-_

-_teme!-_

_(saddnessanger__**don'teverleaveme!**__)_

_-hn. Dobe.-_

_**(DON'T LEAVE!)**_

It was a nightmare of Naruto's. He dreamed that all his bonds broke, leaving him defenceless and cold, all by himself.

(_again)_

The rain still pattered outside, lighter than before, with no thunder. The clouds still covered the skies. All Naruto could see out of the thin sliver of window that wasn't boarded up was endless grey. Occasionally, a lonely bird would flap through the void in the sky, but mostly everything was still, silent.

-_I'm a monster.-_

_-So am I-_

Naruto didn't want to think about that. If he thought that he could find someone to be there for him, someone who could tolerate his presence . . . Naruto thought that he may well cry.

_(monster)_

He didn't deserve to have someone there for him. He was a monster, his hands were stained red with the blood of innocents, people that he had never seen. He was Kyuubi no kitsune. He was evil, terrifying. He fed on blood and pain. That was what he was told.

_-you killed my son! Never show your face around here again.-_

_(monster, monster, monster)_

"NARUTO! GET UP! WE HAVE TRAINING!" a shrill voice tore through his eardrums, and he peeked his head out from underneath his bed clothes. His sun golden locks shined against the austere white sheets that had been all the small boy could afford.

No one would employ him, though he needed the money desperately. He lived off cup noodles and plain rice, while he lived in a rundown apartment payed for by the hokage. He owned nothing. Not even his body. As a ninja, everything would be given away for the sake of the village-in fact he'd probably die on a mission.

Naruto knew that, but he had never cared, people just didn't understand him, it would get better soon.

But he was starting to doubt that now. The whispers continued.

_(monster)_

_(freak)_

_(repulsive)_

_-I can't believe he's on the same team as the Uchiha prodigy-_

_(worthless)_

The scorn, the bruises, all **alone.**

No one noticed.

All he had to do was smile and laugh, and no one noticed a thing. . .

"Alright, alright, I'm getting' up," the groggy reply was typical of the Naruto he showed everyone else. He jumped out of bed, hoping that the dead look in his eyes wasn't too noticeable. He painted a smile onto his countenance.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU MEET US AT THE BRIDGE LIKE WE AGREED?" Sakura screeched, her voice tearing through his eardrums. Naruto fought back a wince, instead forcing his grin wider. His hand went behind his head to scratch at his bright hair.

_(freak.)_

_(all he does is smile)_

_(he must think he's so good, being on the same team as Sasuke and Sakura)_

_(poor things, they don't deserve the pain that the idiot must put them through)_

"Ehehehe, sorry Sakura!" again, the reply was typical of the 'Naruto Uzumaki' that his team had grown so used to, but showed nothing of what he was really thinking. His masks were firmly in place. He wondered what had made him abandon them last night. They were his armour, he was vulnerable without them. But today he felt as if one push against defences would break them apart like so much dust. He didn't want that to happen.

He didn't want to be weak.

_(weak)_

_(monster)_

_-__**don't leave!-**_

_**-let me love you!-**_

"IDIOT!" Sakura screamed, and Naruto very nearly flinched. But he disguised it somehow, rubbing the back of his head harder than was strictly necessary, but softer than he liked it.

"You said it." The raven haired boy's quiet, dark voice added.

::_somehow, it just doesn't compare to. . .last night. . .::_

Why was he even comparing their voices? Why was he thinking of those two sentences that they had exchanged? He hadn't seen the strangers' face, let alone known his name . . . but those red eyes haunted him. Looking deep into his soul, seeing all that he had done wrong, and . . . telling him not to worry. That he'd always be there for him.

-_fantasy-_

It was nothing but a dream. Two sentences that didn't hold the words 'freak' or 'monster' in them, and he was thinking that they had a permanent bond.

-_fantasy-_

_(weak, weak, weak)_

_**(MONSTER!)**_

Sarcastic, even in his own mind. . .especially in his own mind. He didn't get to use his sharp brand of humour often. But. . .even if it was a joke, the voices

_-all the voices-_

_(freak, freak, freak)_

_(weak. . .)_

_-monster-_

soon brought him back to himself.

"I'M NO IDIOT!" Naruto screamed, like he really believed it. That was exactly what made him look like an idiot in the eyes of his teammates.

So innocent, naive, inexperienced, childish. An ironic laugh echoed around his head. He was anything but.

"Hn. Dobe." And that was all it took to get 'Naruto' riled up. Inside his mind, he wondered why anyone would get angry at one insult and one not-a-word. As he ranted and raved at the small Uchiha he couldn't help but think of the pathetic mess he had been the night before.

Tears? Naruto felt dirty, weak.

He had cried before, but he had never done so in the presence of another. Even if the flow of salty droplets had slowed before he met the stranger, they had not stopped. The fact that it had been raining hard didn't stop his shame.

-_tears are weakness-_

He couldn't remember who told him that, but it had become a truth to him, akin to 'the sky is blue'.

Mechanically, still ranting about Sasuke's Uchiha-ness, that he didn't really care about, and complimenting Sakura on her beauty, which he didn't really see, he got dressed and ready to train.

He didn't know why he did what he did, going though the pattern of verbal abuse and humiliation, the bruises and

(_weakness)_

the ridicule of everyone.

But it seemed to be the only thing holding his fragile sanity together.

He frowned inside his mind as he trudged outside, bright smile still painted on his face.

He wondered if he would ever see the stranger from last night again, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Weakness, even hidden weakness was still weak.

(_monster)_

And he would know. After all, all he had ever been was weak.

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><p><strong>I was gonna keep this quiet, see if you could work it out for yourselves, but then I added another thing, and it got a bit confusing, so here we go<strong>

**Key; "talking" (no SHIT Sherlock)**

**-past thoughts-**

**::present thoughts::**

**(words that are remembered, but not quite. You know, when you remember what someone has said, but not who said it. . .if anyone can sum it up better, please leave a review, and I'll change it, as this was a somewhat pathetic attempt at explaining what I'm trying to say.)**

**Bolded words are either a/n's, or just there for emphasis.**

**Anyways. . .all you story alerters. . . and anyone else. . . I dare you to review.**

**Are you too chicken?**


	3. Armour

**Hey there, its Nychta.**

**Guess what?**

**You guessed it!**

**Disclaimer time!**

**Because 'Nychta' obviously translates to 'Masashi Kishimoto'. I used google translate :)**

**Warnings; not enough depressing-ness, rushed work, sticky keys. Oh! And not many of those bracket thingies that I'm using for this style of writing. I couldn't find places to put them **

**Make sure to read the bottom a/n, and tell me if you get it. (you'll know when you read it)**

**So, without further ado, I present to you**

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><p><strong>The storm tree, chapter three, armour<strong>

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><p>"Move faster! You'll never survive as a ninja if you all you do is stand there waiting for them to come at you! Move, hide!" it was as much a command as a memory.<p>

A well learned lesson that Naruto wished he didn't have to learn again.

He stood there, still, pretending not to have heard his silver haired teachers' call.

"Naruto, that goes for you too,"

_(he's stupid, and slow. . .I mean, he can't even make a simple clone)_

_(on the same team as the Uchiha prodigy, and the smartest girl in the year. . .?)_

_(what are they trying to do, ruin the whole batch of them?)_

_(he corrupts everything that he touches)_

He wanted to walk away, saying that he already knew how to move, and hiding was what he was best at.

But he couldn't. Running was cowardly, but it kept everyone alive. He knew that, but 'Naruto' was bound to wonder why they couldn't just stay and fight.

He bent his arm back behind his head, scratching at his blond locks that hadn't been washed in days - he couldn't pay for running water, and he was scared of what would happen if an especially aggressive villager caught him bathing naked in the nearby river.

"umm. . .Kakashi-sensei. . .what do you mean by 'run and hide? I can fight! Believe it!" he loathed how he presented himself. He wasn't naive, he wasn't childish, he wasn't. . .anything.

He was just a

_(monster)_

_(freak)_

_(good for nothing)_

_(idiot)_

boy.

When everything was said and done, Naruto was nothing more than a boy who had lived a far harder life than anyone deserved to live.

The look of impatience on his silver haired teachers' face was obvious, despite the mask obscuring nearly all of his features.

"Naruto. . .we need to be able to run in case we're out numbered. And yes, even the hokage gets out numbered from time to time."

There were times when Naruto was infinitely glad that his teacher knew 'Naruto' so well.

"I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE!" the blond screamed, smile painted on his face.

He enjoyed his team-mates' reactions-a barely perceptible wince from Sasuke, and a full blown jump from Sakura.

"BELIEVE IT!" he put two fingers up, making a 'v' sign that he knew bugged the shit out of one Uchiha Sasuke. The look on the raven haired boys' face was almost worth the trouble Naruto went through to make sure everyone thought that this smiling mask was the true him.

Most of the time when he smiled he felt ridiculous. His face muscles weren't designed to stretch that wide, and his nose crinkled in a way that Naruto felt was less than becoming. But he couldn't stop.

His smile was his armour, and Naruto wasn't sure that he could survive without it.

No, he didn't _want _to survive without it.

He didn't want his weaknesses aired out to everyone.

He knew what would probably happen.

_::I probably wouldn't survive the next beating::_

He was already bruised and battered underneath his baggy orange clothes. He knew that if he hid well enough, he could avoid the villagers for a couple of days, but he would have to live in the woods.

And it was true.

His body wasn't coping as well as it used to. It failed him from time to time, making breathing impossible, until the echo of the Kyuubi's malevolent laughter healed him.

Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to be healed.

The scars were part of him, as much as his blond hair and his blue eyes were.

He wanted the scars to be a part of him, a visible reminder of all that he had been through.

Maybe that would make the pain less.

_::probably not, though::_

Sardonic thoughts like that frequented his mind, even as he cocked his head to the side, a stupid grin on his face, that transformed into an altogether too puzzled frown as Kakashi explained why running was part of a ninja's life.

Finally, Kakashi gave up trying to explain _why_ they had to run, and just decided to give them all an exercise to do, to make them understand.

Well, to make 'Naruto' understand.

"Okay, so Sakura and Sasuke, you're rouge ninja. Naruto, you're Konoha ninja. Rouge nin, do your job. Kill the enemy ninja."

And so the chase was on.

Naruto headed out of the training area, hoping that he'd be able to ditch his teammates and go somewhere no one would think to look for him.

Maybe he would spend the night there, as he didn't want to have to move.

He hurt all over, and his breathing was coming out in quiet rasps. He was sleep deprived, and Kyuubi was weighing on his mind more heavily than usual.

The fox would pace around his cage, muttering about all the people he had killed, all the blood and the screams, and then the pictures would start.

_(Run! It's the Kyuubi!)_

_(blood. . .red blood)_

_(pain)_

_**(mangekyou sharingan!)**_

_(not my otouto. . .please. . .)_

That voice was new. He had never heard anything but desperate, begging, _dying_ screams after. . .that.

That

_Thing_

which even the great Kyuubi was afraid of.

Naruto never wanted to have to face it.

If even Kyuubi, a monster who didn't understand pain and suffering, was scared of these small, round. . .

_::oh, god. . .they're __**eyes**__::_

He stopped dead in his tracks, a shocked look coming over his determined expression.

Someone had _manipulated_ the Kyuubi to their will.

That was the only conclusion that Naruto could draw.

But. . .who? and why?

Did he care? Did he want to find out?

_::probably not::_

His life was pain filled enough without delving into why some powerful person with monstrous eyes had sent the Kyuubi on a blood rampage.

He hadn't noticed that he stood stock still, immersed in his thoughts, so when the kunai came at him, at a speed faster than light itself, Naruto's mind didn't even register it.

But his body did.

_**-MOVE!-**_

And his body did.

Just as the many times rocks and knives, shuriken or kunai were thrown at him, his body knew exactly what to do.

A small, understated, almost imperceptible movement, and the kunai went zipping past his head, close enough that it may have been the throwers error of judgement, but far enough away that it didn't even touch a strand of the young boy's golden hair.

"Dobe?" a shocked voice asked.

Naruto turned around, his eyes wide and frightened.

"D-Dobe?" Sasuke repeated.

Naruto faltered, two steps back, and he was leaning against a tall tree.

"Th-They were. . .eyes. . ."

That was all he said.

And then he was gone.

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><p><strong>Hey, it's Nychta.<strong>

**How did you like the newest installation of the storm tree? Tell me, please, or telemarketers disguised as your boss will ring you during our dinner and ask you pointless questions. And you will not be able to get away and eat your dinner. And when you get back, I will have eaten it all. (MWAHAHAHAHA!)**

**As you can see, this chapter was a bit less depressing than those that came before, and you will notice that it lacks. . .Itachi-ness.**

**But that will be fixed somewhere between the next chapter and chapter 6. Do not worry! Plus, does anyone have a semi-realistic pairing for Sasuke, that isn't sasusaku? Sasugaa, maybe, or sasuneji? Sasushika? Whatevs. Review, and tell me. **

**Anyway, I have started a new section in my a/n's called 'epic things'. So, here we go;**

**This chapter was brought to you today by an epic USERNAME!**

**Shout outs to the extremely imaginative (and ONE OF MY BEST REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU!) **_**LAWLIPOP IN MY JEEVAS MAILBOX!**_

**If you have read the whole of the death note manga series, or managed to get spoilers to it (coughcoughLIKEIDIDcoughcough), you will get it.**

**Epic, mate, epic.**

**If you have any ideas about epic things (usernames, quotes, whatever) review and tell me about them, and you will find yourself in my 'epic things' section.**

**Anyways, see you next chapter, which will be more depressing than the time that I . . . never mind.**

**(I refuse to say 'ja ne' [which means 'bye' to all the people who sit there reading fanfiction and thinking 'what the fuck is a ja ne?'] as I think it sounds stupid coming from me)**

**Night night.**


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